House committee on tourism backs temporary closure of Boracay

The House committee on tourism expressed support in the proposed temporary closure of Boracay as following its own inquiry into the woes of the popular island destination.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, March 21, chairperson and Leyte representative (4th District) Lucy T. Gomez said her committee’s report “prioritizes a temporary closure of Boracay Island in order to address the high risk issue of discharging untreated waste water into the beach.”

Ms. Gomez noted that the island group brought P60 billion in tourism revenues and a closure would then result to a loss of P5 billion. “However, on balance, the Committee put more weight on the long-term viability and sustainability of Tourism in Boracay, versus the short-term economic collateral damage that comes with closing its doors to incoming tourists,” Ms. Gomez said. — Minde Nyl R. Dela Cruz